The Cutting Edge Newshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 14:43:30 -0700PMCentral Systems CMSenThe Iranian Threat - Iran's Supposed Missile Launch was Fake, say US Officialshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275457
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:47:38 -0700Lucas Tomlinsonhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275457http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_73704.jpgIran Missileshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275457Iranian state television released video footage Friday claiming to show the launch of a new type of medium-range ballistic missile, a few hours after it was displayed during a military parade in Tehran.

But it turns out Iran never fired a ballistic missile, sources say.

The video released by the Iranians was more than seven months old – dating back to a failed launch in late January, which resulted in the missile exploding shortly after liftoff, according to two U.S. officials.

President Trump had originally responded to the reported launch in a late-Saturday tweet, saying, “Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!” This was after Trump, speaking before world leaders at the United Nations, called the Iran nuclear deal an “embarrassment” to the United States.

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Iranian state television released video footage Friday claiming to show the launch of a new type of medium-range ballistic missile, a few hours after it was displayed during a military parade in Tehran.

But it turns out Iran never fired a ballistic missile, sources say.

The video released by the Iranians was more than seven months old – dating back to a failed launch in late January, which resulted in the missile exploding shortly after liftoff, according to two U.S. officials.

President Trump had originally responded to the reported launch in a late-Saturday tweet, saying, “Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!” This was after Trump, speaking before world leaders at the United Nations, called the Iran nuclear deal an “embarrassment” to the United States.

]]>Deeply Concerned About the Non-renewal of Longtime UM Professor Melissa Landahttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275456
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:29:34 -0700Asaf Romirowsky http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275456Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) is deeply concerned about the non-renewal of longtime University of Maryland (UM) professor and SPME member Melissa Landa. Currently, her contract is being investigated by the school's Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct as an incident of retaliation and "religious, political, or national origin discrimination."

The contract non-renewal came after Landa filed a complaint in February with the grievance board challenging Francine Hultgren and John O'Flahavan's decision to remove her from the language arts instruction team in May 2016, according to a recent report by UM's the Diamondback.

Landa has been on the faculty for a decade, most recently as an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (TLPL) and received her PhD from the University of Maryland as an advisee of John O’Flahavan.

The tables started to turn on Landa when she began to actively fight BDS and anti-Semitism in early 2016. She increased her pro-Israel activism in the U.S., heading the Oberlin Chapter of Alums for Campus Fairness , which protested anti-Semitic and anti-Israel remarks by a professor, Joy Karega.

It was during that same time that Landa began feeling an increase of antagonism from her superiors. Landa said O’Flahavan pulled out of their joint conference presentation they had been working together for months. Also, days after she informed O’Flahavan of her partnership with Levinsky College of Education in Tel Aviv, he removed Landa from the TLPL Language Arts team.

Landa has been praised for her academic work as recently as May 2017, one month before her firing when she won the College of Education Exceptional Scholarship Award. Moreover, she has created a respectable teaching environment causing her former students to protest her firing.

SPME calls on the administration of the University of Maryland to stand by the pledge it made after the murder of second Lt. Richard Collins III on campus last May to, "come together as a campus community to reaffirm our core values of diversity, inclusion, respect and civil discourse." We demand that the university honor this pledge and that a full and complete investigation, personally overseen by UMD President Wallace Loh, be undertaken by the university, in order to determine the extent to which anti-Semitism and/or anti-Israel bias played a role in Professor Landa's termination.

]]>Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) is deeply concerned about the non-renewal of longtime University of Maryland (UM) professor and SPME member Melissa Landa. Currently, her contract is being investigated by the school's Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct as an incident of retaliation and "religious, political, or national origin discrimination."

The contract non-renewal came after Landa filed a complaint in February with the grievance board challenging Francine Hultgren and John O'Flahavan's decision to remove her from the language arts instruction team in May 2016, according to a recent report by UM's the Diamondback.

Landa has been on the faculty for a decade, most recently as an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (TLPL) and received her PhD from the University of Maryland as an advisee of John O’Flahavan.

The tables started to turn on Landa when she began to actively fight BDS and anti-Semitism in early 2016. She increased her pro-Israel activism in the U.S., heading the Oberlin Chapter of Alums for Campus Fairness , which protested anti-Semitic and anti-Israel remarks by a professor, Joy Karega.

It was during that same time that Landa began feeling an increase of antagonism from her superiors. Landa said O’Flahavan pulled out of their joint conference presentation they had been working together for months. Also, days after she informed O’Flahavan of her partnership with Levinsky College of Education in Tel Aviv, he removed Landa from the TLPL Language Arts team.

Landa has been praised for her academic work as recently as May 2017, one month before her firing when she won the College of Education Exceptional Scholarship Award. Moreover, she has created a respectable teaching environment causing her former students to protest her firing.

SPME calls on the administration of the University of Maryland to stand by the pledge it made after the murder of second Lt. Richard Collins III on campus last May to, "come together as a campus community to reaffirm our core values of diversity, inclusion, respect and civil discourse." We demand that the university honor this pledge and that a full and complete investigation, personally overseen by UMD President Wallace Loh, be undertaken by the university, in order to determine the extent to which anti-Semitism and/or anti-Israel bias played a role in Professor Landa's termination.

]]>Inside Judaism - Is the Western Wall Judaism's Holiest Site?http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275455
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:18:38 -0700F.M. Loewenberghttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275455http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_75652.jpgWestern Wallhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275455Few beliefs have resonated more widely, or among a more diverse set of Israelis and Jews, than the perception of the Western Wall as Judaism's holiest site, the place where they feel the greatest sense of sacredness, "the holy of holies of Jewish national unity" to use the words of the Wall's rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz. Chief rabbi of Jerusalem Shlomo Amar has similarly asserted that "no one can annul the holiness of the Western Wall, not the government, not the courts."[2]

But when did the Western Wall become the holiest Jewish site? Historical evidence suggests that the Temple Mount was actually Judaism's "holy of holies," and that the Western Wall's venerated position is a relatively late development with a more prosaic and even non-Jewish origin. Would these facts change the tenor of the debate about the Western Wall's future status? And can they help ameliorate the widening schism between Israel's Orthodox religious establishment and the Diaspora Conservative and Reform movements over this holy site?

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Few beliefs have resonated more widely, or among a more diverse set of Israelis and Jews, than the perception of the Western Wall as Judaism's holiest site, the place where they feel the greatest sense of sacredness, "the holy of holies of Jewish national unity" to use the words of the Wall's rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz. Chief rabbi of Jerusalem Shlomo Amar has similarly asserted that "no one can annul the holiness of the Western Wall, not the government, not the courts."[2]

But when did the Western Wall become the holiest Jewish site? Historical evidence suggests that the Temple Mount was actually Judaism's "holy of holies," and that the Western Wall's venerated position is a relatively late development with a more prosaic and even non-Jewish origin. Would these facts change the tenor of the debate about the Western Wall's future status? And can they help ameliorate the widening schism between Israel's Orthodox religious establishment and the Diaspora Conservative and Reform movements over this holy site?

The mighty Rio Grande is not quite an oasis, but it's a brief respite from the sand—and a marker of the border between the desert of the United States and the desert of Mexico. Between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, the river is straddled by a concrete bridge that tethers the sister cities.

Even though it spans two countries, the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo area is one massive metropolitan singularity from a demographic perspective, with roughly 8,000 people crossing back-and-forth on foot and by car each day. Some Nuevo Laredo residents walk across to buy groceries at Texas supermarkets. People who work in Laredo live across the border for the cheaper rent. Like the river, the bridge has a natural flow.

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In the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, the air is eerily still. Scrub and sand stretch starkly into the distance. Occasionally, border patrol helicopters swoop low, cutting through the calm.

The mighty Rio Grande is not quite an oasis, but it's a brief respite from the sand—and a marker of the border between the desert of the United States and the desert of Mexico. Between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, the river is straddled by a concrete bridge that tethers the sister cities.

Even though it spans two countries, the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo area is one massive metropolitan singularity from a demographic perspective, with roughly 8,000 people crossing back-and-forth on foot and by car each day. Some Nuevo Laredo residents walk across to buy groceries at Texas supermarkets. People who work in Laredo live across the border for the cheaper rent. Like the river, the bridge has a natural flow.

]]>The Edge of Terrorism - Bin Laden Heir Breathes New Destructive Energy Into Al Qaedahttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275454
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 07:56:02 -0700Abigail R. Esmanhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275454http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_52648.jpgOsama bin-Laden preachinghttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275454Since the start of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump has sworn to destroy ISIS, threatening to be "nasty" and to "annihilate" the terrorist group and its leaders by "bombing the s*** out of them."

Canadian counterterrorism expert Mubin Shaikh agrees. "The thing that everyone keeps getting wrong about Al Qaeda is because of what AQ's Al Suri said long ago," he wrote in a recent e-mail. "Al Qaeda is a system, a methodology, not a group per se." Indeed, as ISIS loses territory in Syria and Iraq, Al Qaeda's influence and power is growing. Some experts have speculated about a potential ISIS-Al Qaeda merger. Others point to the demise of ISIS as a motivation for Al Qaeda operatives to strengthen their recruiting efforts, and as reason for newly-inspired would-be jihadists to turn to Al Qaeda in its place.

Canadian counterterrorism expert Mubin Shaikh agrees. "The thing that everyone keeps getting wrong about Al Qaeda is because of what AQ's Al Suri said long ago," he wrote in a recent e-mail. "Al Qaeda is a system, a methodology, not a group per se." Indeed, as ISIS loses territory in Syria and Iraq, Al Qaeda's influence and power is growing. Some experts have speculated about a potential ISIS-Al Qaeda merger. Others point to the demise of ISIS as a motivation for Al Qaeda operatives to strengthen their recruiting efforts, and as reason for newly-inspired would-be jihadists to turn to Al Qaeda in its place.

Ms. Diner authored an op-ed which states she refused to sign a document that she "believed in 'the centrality of the State of Israel and Jerusalem as capital' for the Jewish people. It encouraged 'Aliyah to Israel,' that is, the classic negation of the diaspora and as such the ending of Jewish life outside a homeland in Israel.”

Ms. Diner authored an op-ed which states she refused to sign a document that she "believed in 'the centrality of the State of Israel and Jerusalem as capital' for the Jewish people. It encouraged 'Aliyah to Israel,' that is, the classic negation of the diaspora and as such the ending of Jewish life outside a homeland in Israel.”

This long-held ambition moved one step closer to reality Monday as millions of Iraqi Kurds began lining up to vote in an independence referendum.

Despite huge pressure from other countries to cancel the vote, the streets were festooned with Kurdish flags and voters showed off their ink-stained fingers.

Experts say the result will almost certainly be a resounding "yes" — but what that will actually mean in reality is still unclear.

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America's most reliable ally in the fight against ISIS wants its own country.

This long-held ambition moved one step closer to reality Monday as millions of Iraqi Kurds began lining up to vote in an independence referendum.

Despite huge pressure from other countries to cancel the vote, the streets were festooned with Kurdish flags and voters showed off their ink-stained fingers.

Experts say the result will almost certainly be a resounding "yes" — but what that will actually mean in reality is still unclear.

]]>Irish Passengers Stranded In France By Ryanair Cancellationhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275451
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 08:34:22 -0700Rebecca Lumleyhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275451http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_73174.jpegairport crowdhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275451A group of 80 Irish people was stranded in France on Saturday night, when a flight back to Dublin was unexpectedly cancelled by Ryanair.

They had been on a mission to Lourdes with Oblate Youth Service when the 3.15pm return flight was cancelled, although it was not included on the airline's list of cancellations.

Fidelma Roe, whose son was on the trip, said the group was "pretty much abandoned". According to Oblate Youth Service's Facebook page, the group was told to make its own travel arrangements.

"After a very challenging yet rewarding week caring for the sick and elderly in Lourdes, we were making our way home when our flight was cancelled by Ryanair," it said.

"They have been extremely unhelpful and have only offered us 30 seats on a flight from Carcassonne on Tuesday and told us to make our own travel arrangements, which is next to impossible with 79 people which includes 45 17 and 18-year-olds."

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A group of 80 Irish people was stranded in France on Saturday night, when a flight back to Dublin was unexpectedly cancelled by Ryanair.

They had been on a mission to Lourdes with Oblate Youth Service when the 3.15pm return flight was cancelled, although it was not included on the airline's list of cancellations.

Fidelma Roe, whose son was on the trip, said the group was "pretty much abandoned". According to Oblate Youth Service's Facebook page, the group was told to make its own travel arrangements.

"After a very challenging yet rewarding week caring for the sick and elderly in Lourdes, we were making our way home when our flight was cancelled by Ryanair," it said.

"They have been extremely unhelpful and have only offered us 30 seats on a flight from Carcassonne on Tuesday and told us to make our own travel arrangements, which is next to impossible with 79 people which includes 45 17 and 18-year-olds."

"Israeli warplanes targeted with rocket fire a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah near the airport," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

There was no immediate official confirmation from either Damascus or Israel, but the Jewish state has been accused of carrying out multiple strikes in Syria, including earlier this month.

On September 7, the Syrian army said Israeli warplanes hit one of its positions near the central town of Masyaf. The site was reportedly used by Hezbollah forces and those of Iran, another Syrian government ally. In April, the government accused Israel of firing several missiles at a military position near Damascus airport, triggering a huge explosion.

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Israeli strikes hit a weapons depot by Damascus airport overnight, targeting a warehouse belonging to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is allied with the Syrian government, a monitor said Friday.

"Israeli warplanes targeted with rocket fire a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah near the airport," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

There was no immediate official confirmation from either Damascus or Israel, but the Jewish state has been accused of carrying out multiple strikes in Syria, including earlier this month.

On September 7, the Syrian army said Israeli warplanes hit one of its positions near the central town of Masyaf. The site was reportedly used by Hezbollah forces and those of Iran, another Syrian government ally. In April, the government accused Israel of firing several missiles at a military position near Damascus airport, triggering a huge explosion.

Over the September 23-24 weekend, news coverage and commentary was dominated by discussions over football players kneeling instead of standing for the National Anthem at NFL games across the country rather than the devastation of Puerto Rico. On September 20, Hurricane Maria struck the island commonwealth with fury, swelling rivers with record rainfall, knocking out electric power for 3.5 million people, and causing what by some accounts is “apocalyptic” destruction. The plight of Puerto Rico, which was already experiencing significant distress over debt incurred by wasteful government, in the wake of Hurricane Maria, did not merit much discussion on the principal Sunday political talk shows.

When contacted by Spero News, Fr. Peter DiLeo-Vulic asked pleaded for help for his congregation of St. Spiridon, a Byzantine Catholic-rite parish located just outside of San Juan, the island's capital.

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Over the September 23-24 weekend, news coverage and commentary was dominated by discussions over football players kneeling instead of standing for the National Anthem at NFL games across the country rather than the devastation of Puerto Rico. On September 20, Hurricane Maria struck the island commonwealth with fury, swelling rivers with record rainfall, knocking out electric power for 3.5 million people, and causing what by some accounts is “apocalyptic” destruction. The plight of Puerto Rico, which was already experiencing significant distress over debt incurred by wasteful government, in the wake of Hurricane Maria, did not merit much discussion on the principal Sunday political talk shows.

When contacted by Spero News, Fr. Peter DiLeo-Vulic asked pleaded for help for his congregation of St. Spiridon, a Byzantine Catholic-rite parish located just outside of San Juan, the island's capital.

Researchers at the University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) have developed two energy storage technologies to extend the life of lithium ion and zinc air batteries.

"We try to convert solar energy either to electricity or chemical fuels. We also try to convert chemical fuels to electricity. So, we do different things, but all of them are related to energy," said assistant Professor Yang Yang in the NanoScience Technology Center and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Yang's group developed a battery cathode for lithium ion batteries using a thin-film alloy of nickel sulfide and iron sulfide. They were able to boost conductivity even more by making the cathode from a thin film of nickel sulfide-iron sulfide, then etching it to create a porous surface of microscopic nanostructures. These nanopores, or holey structures, greatly expand the surface area available for chemical reaction.

Tests show a battery with the nickel sulfide-iron sulfide cathode could be depleted and recharged more than 5,000 times before degrading, compared to 300 to 500 cycles for existing lithium ion cells.

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Researchers at the University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) have developed two energy storage technologies to extend the life of lithium ion and zinc air batteries.

"We try to convert solar energy either to electricity or chemical fuels. We also try to convert chemical fuels to electricity. So, we do different things, but all of them are related to energy," said assistant Professor Yang Yang in the NanoScience Technology Center and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Yang's group developed a battery cathode for lithium ion batteries using a thin-film alloy of nickel sulfide and iron sulfide. They were able to boost conductivity even more by making the cathode from a thin film of nickel sulfide-iron sulfide, then etching it to create a porous surface of microscopic nanostructures. These nanopores, or holey structures, greatly expand the surface area available for chemical reaction.

Tests show a battery with the nickel sulfide-iron sulfide cathode could be depleted and recharged more than 5,000 times before degrading, compared to 300 to 500 cycles for existing lithium ion cells.

Amazon reportedly working on its first wearable device - a pair of smart glasses.

According to the Financial Times , the glasses will allow Amazon's Alexa digital assistant to be summoned at any time. The only requirement,say reports, is that a smartphone needs to be nearby - similar to how the original Apple Watch operated.

The smart glasses are said to be designed to appear as a normal pair of glasses and will not include a display or camera. Instead of using a microphone and headphones for users to interact with Alexa, the glasses will use a behind-the-ear bone conduction audio system built into the frames.

Amazon has thus far not commented on the report. But the FT notes that Amazon hired Google Glass founder Babak Parviz in 2014, suggesting that a glasses project may have been in the works.

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Amazon reportedly working on its first wearable device - a pair of smart glasses.

According to the Financial Times , the glasses will allow Amazon's Alexa digital assistant to be summoned at any time. The only requirement,say reports, is that a smartphone needs to be nearby - similar to how the original Apple Watch operated.

The smart glasses are said to be designed to appear as a normal pair of glasses and will not include a display or camera. Instead of using a microphone and headphones for users to interact with Alexa, the glasses will use a behind-the-ear bone conduction audio system built into the frames.

Amazon has thus far not commented on the report. But the FT notes that Amazon hired Google Glass founder Babak Parviz in 2014, suggesting that a glasses project may have been in the works.

]]>Iran's Nukes - Trump Has Created Leverage Against Iran. Now He Needs a Closer.http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275446
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 06:17:24 -0700Eli Lakehttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275446http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_73704.jpgIran Missileshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275446Supporters of the Iran nuclear deal are in panic mode.

Obama administration alumni are warning that President Donald Trump's threats to not certify Iranian compliance next month will unravel a bargain that makes the world safer. European leaders and Iranian envoys say the deal cannot be renegotiated. Quietly, many career State Department officials, according to administration sources, are trying to figure out a way to at least delay Trump's plan to throw the deal into turmoil.

The alarm is understandable. If Trump decertifies Iranian compliance with what is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, then it will be up to Congress to vote to impose the crippling sanctions on Iran's banks and oil exports that President Barack Obama waived as part of the nuclear deal. If Congress does that, it really would blow up the nuclear deal.

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Supporters of the Iran nuclear deal are in panic mode.

Obama administration alumni are warning that President Donald Trump's threats to not certify Iranian compliance next month will unravel a bargain that makes the world safer. European leaders and Iranian envoys say the deal cannot be renegotiated. Quietly, many career State Department officials, according to administration sources, are trying to figure out a way to at least delay Trump's plan to throw the deal into turmoil.

The alarm is understandable. If Trump decertifies Iranian compliance with what is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, then it will be up to Congress to vote to impose the crippling sanctions on Iran's banks and oil exports that President Barack Obama waived as part of the nuclear deal. If Congress does that, it really would blow up the nuclear deal.

]]>Facism in America - NYPD’s PBA Responds to Anti-Cop Criminal Justice Professor: Fire Him! http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275445
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 07:36:15 -0700Jim Kourihttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275445http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_53427.jpgNYPD and flaghttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275445Michael Isaacson harbors total disdain for the active and future police officers that he teaches at John Jay College, according to the New York City Police Benevolent Association (PBA) which represents the majority of law enforcement officers in the city. The PBA’s President Pat Lynch is calling for Isaacson’s immediate dismissal from John Jay College of Criminal Justice which is part of the City University of New York.

Recent media reports have revealed the adjunct professor Mr. Isaacson’s disgusting anti-police attitudes and his gleeful embrace of political violence, including violence against police officers, as expressed in his own social media postings.

One of the most vicious and objectionable of these posts, which appeared recently on his Twitter account read: “Some of y’all might think it sucks being an anti-fascist teaching at John Jay College but I think it’s a privilege to teach future dead cops.” (See video following this news story)

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Michael Isaacson harbors total disdain for the active and future police officers that he teaches at John Jay College, according to the New York City Police Benevolent Association (PBA) which represents the majority of law enforcement officers in the city. The PBA’s President Pat Lynch is calling for Isaacson’s immediate dismissal from John Jay College of Criminal Justice which is part of the City University of New York.

Recent media reports have revealed the adjunct professor Mr. Isaacson’s disgusting anti-police attitudes and his gleeful embrace of political violence, including violence against police officers, as expressed in his own social media postings.

One of the most vicious and objectionable of these posts, which appeared recently on his Twitter account read: “Some of y’all might think it sucks being an anti-fascist teaching at John Jay College but I think it’s a privilege to teach future dead cops.” (See video following this news story)

]]>Significant Lives - Towering Iraqi Jewish Historian Passeshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275444
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 07:30:06 -0700Lyn Juliushttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275444http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_76708.jpgIsraeli flag and cloudshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275444Iraqi Jews in Israel and abroad are mourning the death, on the second day of the Jewish New Year, of Professor Shmuel Moreh, 85, emeritus professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Born Sami Muallem in 1932 in Baghdad’s upmarket district of Bataween, Professor Moreh was a well-respected academic (as chairman of the Association of Academics from Iraq in Israel, he presided over the publication of countless books), who excelled in his command of the Arabic language.

Immigrating, together with most of Iraq’s Jews, to Israel with his family in 1951, he received his B.A. and M.A. from the Hebrew University in Arabic literature and Islamic Studies and his Ph.D. in modern Arabic poetry (SOAS, London University) in 1965. He was a poet and a prolific author of over 20 publications in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

His memoirs were serialised in the online Arabic medium Elaph in 2009 -10 and awakened huge interest among Iraqis in their lost Jewish community. The series was later published in Arabic as Baghdad Mon Amour.

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Iraqi Jews in Israel and abroad are mourning the death, on the second day of the Jewish New Year, of Professor Shmuel Moreh, 85, emeritus professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Born Sami Muallem in 1932 in Baghdad’s upmarket district of Bataween, Professor Moreh was a well-respected academic (as chairman of the Association of Academics from Iraq in Israel, he presided over the publication of countless books), who excelled in his command of the Arabic language.

Immigrating, together with most of Iraq’s Jews, to Israel with his family in 1951, he received his B.A. and M.A. from the Hebrew University in Arabic literature and Islamic Studies and his Ph.D. in modern Arabic poetry (SOAS, London University) in 1965. He was a poet and a prolific author of over 20 publications in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

His memoirs were serialised in the online Arabic medium Elaph in 2009 -10 and awakened huge interest among Iraqis in their lost Jewish community. The series was later published in Arabic as Baghdad Mon Amour.

]]>Digital Control - Deane Gross Confronts GoFundMe Over Glazov Gang Banhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275443
Sat, 23 Sep 2017 08:10:21 -0700Jamie Glazovhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275443http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_2183.jpgMoney Money Moneyhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275443As we have recently reported, crowd-funding online company GoFundMe has banned The Glazov Gang, a web-tv show that tells the truth about the threat from the Left and Islam, from accepting online donations.

GoFundMe suspended The Glazov Gang campaign without any notice or explanation, nor have they responded to any queries. Read about what happened and what you can do HERE.

We are very touched that our fans are fighting on our behalf to have our campaign restored. Below is an example of one of our loyal supporters, Deane Gross, writing in to GoFundMe to confront the company on its surrender to leftist fascism.

We deeply appreciate Deane’s effort and the effort of all others who have done the same — and we encourage everyone to also take this action on our behalf and against leftist fascism.

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As we have recently reported, crowd-funding online company GoFundMe has banned The Glazov Gang, a web-tv show that tells the truth about the threat from the Left and Islam, from accepting online donations.

GoFundMe suspended The Glazov Gang campaign without any notice or explanation, nor have they responded to any queries. Read about what happened and what you can do HERE.

We are very touched that our fans are fighting on our behalf to have our campaign restored. Below is an example of one of our loyal supporters, Deane Gross, writing in to GoFundMe to confront the company on its surrender to leftist fascism.

We deeply appreciate Deane’s effort and the effort of all others who have done the same — and we encourage everyone to also take this action on our behalf and against leftist fascism.

]]>Constituion on Edge - Article VI Trampledhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275442
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 07:07:36 -0700Mike Tomkohttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275442http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_74904.jpgCapitol Hillhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275442The law requires every federal employee take an oath of office to support the Constitution. Days ago, a three Senators blatantly violated their oath and committed an unconstitutional act. It received virtually no news coverage.

That’s a direct violation of the Constitution’s Article VI. It states “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

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The law requires every federal employee take an oath of office to support the Constitution. Days ago, a three Senators blatantly violated their oath and committed an unconstitutional act. It received virtually no news coverage.

Known only by a pseudonym, “G” is an Egyptian former Muslim who has admitted to abducting Coptic Christian girls and women to be sold as sex slaves to Muslim masters. He said that before leaving Islam behind, he participated in a Salafist Muslim network that has actively targeted Christian girls since the 1970s. G said that the network’s activities are at their peak currently under the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

“They keep a close eye on Christians’ houses and monitor everything that’s going on. On that basis, they weave a spider’s web around [the girls],” he said. G added that the network uses subtle techniques to entrap unwitting girls. He explained, “A Muslim boy tells a Christian girl he loves her and wants to convert to Christianity for her,” then after beginning a romantic relationship with the target and deciding to run away together, he said that what the victims don’t know is that they are being kidnapped. “Most of the time they will not marry their kidnapper, but someone else.”

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Known only by a pseudonym, “G” is an Egyptian former Muslim who has admitted to abducting Coptic Christian girls and women to be sold as sex slaves to Muslim masters. He said that before leaving Islam behind, he participated in a Salafist Muslim network that has actively targeted Christian girls since the 1970s. G said that the network’s activities are at their peak currently under the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

“They keep a close eye on Christians’ houses and monitor everything that’s going on. On that basis, they weave a spider’s web around [the girls],” he said. G added that the network uses subtle techniques to entrap unwitting girls. He explained, “A Muslim boy tells a Christian girl he loves her and wants to convert to Christianity for her,” then after beginning a romantic relationship with the target and deciding to run away together, he said that what the victims don’t know is that they are being kidnapped. “Most of the time they will not marry their kidnapper, but someone else.”

]]>The Trump Era - Obama Official Admits Trump Wiretaps 'Possible'http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275440
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 06:54:07 -0700Martin Barillashttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275440http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_77444.jpgTrump1http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275440In an exchange Wednesday night on CNN with show host Don Lemon, Obama’s director of intelligence admitted that it is possible that Donald Trump’s conversations with political operative Paul Manafort may have been recorded by the Obama administration. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was asked whether Trump, who was in frequent communication with Manafort in 2016 during the presidential campaign, was “picked up” by FBI wiretaps ordered for an investigation into Manafort’s activities.

Back in March, Clapper told Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” that while he was national intelligence director, that his office did not undertake wiretaps of Trump the candidate. However, he said he could not speak for the other three federal intelligence agencies that are authorized to conduct wiretaps.

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In an exchange Wednesday night on CNN with show host Don Lemon, Obama’s director of intelligence admitted that it is possible that Donald Trump’s conversations with political operative Paul Manafort may have been recorded by the Obama administration. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was asked whether Trump, who was in frequent communication with Manafort in 2016 during the presidential campaign, was “picked up” by FBI wiretaps ordered for an investigation into Manafort’s activities.

Back in March, Clapper told Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” that while he was national intelligence director, that his office did not undertake wiretaps of Trump the candidate. However, he said he could not speak for the other three federal intelligence agencies that are authorized to conduct wiretaps.

]]>Digital Control - GoFundMe Bans Glazov Gang from Accepting Donationshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275439
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 06:45:59 -0700Jamie Glazovhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275439http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_2183.jpgMoney Money Moneyhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275439Crowdfunding online company GoFundMe has banned The Glazov Gang, a web-tv show that tells the truth about the threat from the Left and Islam, from accepting online donations.

GoFundMe suspended The Glazov Gang campaign without any notice or explanation, nor have they responded to any queries.

This conduct by GoFundMe is part of its larger effort to shut down the efforts of Anni Cyrus, the producer of The Glazov Gang. Recently, also with no notice or explanation, GoFundMe deleted Anni’s entire account while she was raising funds for her anti-Sharia tour — wiping out all of her donor history and four open campaigns, one of which was The Glazov Gang campaign.

This development is part of a current onslaught by companies who are closing their platforms to those who dissent from the Left’s totalitarian worldview. Freedom of speech and conscience are being annihilated each passing day right before our eyes.

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Crowdfunding online company GoFundMe has banned The Glazov Gang, a web-tv show that tells the truth about the threat from the Left and Islam, from accepting online donations.

GoFundMe suspended The Glazov Gang campaign without any notice or explanation, nor have they responded to any queries.

This conduct by GoFundMe is part of its larger effort to shut down the efforts of Anni Cyrus, the producer of The Glazov Gang. Recently, also with no notice or explanation, GoFundMe deleted Anni’s entire account while she was raising funds for her anti-Sharia tour — wiping out all of her donor history and four open campaigns, one of which was The Glazov Gang campaign.

This development is part of a current onslaught by companies who are closing their platforms to those who dissent from the Left’s totalitarian worldview. Freedom of speech and conscience are being annihilated each passing day right before our eyes.

Author and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News that the surveillance conducted by the Obama administration on Trump campaign director Paul Manafort was an “egregious” abuse of power that endangers the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and dwarfs the allegations made about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 general election.

There is speculation that the FBI, through the Obama administration’s FISA requests, taped Manafort’s conversations with Donald Trump into 2017. According to CNN, Manafort had been under FBI surveillance since 2014 and into this year. Manafort served briefly as Trump’s campaign director in 2016, and the two remained in contact this year. Gingrich said of the development, “this may be the most egregious abuse of the criminal justice process in American history.” He said that he fears that “the country that you and I know is under siege by a deep state which illegally wants to create a very different America and is willing to break the law and abuse the law.”

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Author and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News that the surveillance conducted by the Obama administration on Trump campaign director Paul Manafort was an “egregious” abuse of power that endangers the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and dwarfs the allegations made about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 general election.

There is speculation that the FBI, through the Obama administration’s FISA requests, taped Manafort’s conversations with Donald Trump into 2017. According to CNN, Manafort had been under FBI surveillance since 2014 and into this year. Manafort served briefly as Trump’s campaign director in 2016, and the two remained in contact this year. Gingrich said of the development, “this may be the most egregious abuse of the criminal justice process in American history.” He said that he fears that “the country that you and I know is under siege by a deep state which illegally wants to create a very different America and is willing to break the law and abuse the law.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Palestinians to overcome their differences and be ready to co-exist with each other and with Israelis in safety and security.

"I tell the Palestinian people it's extremely important ... to overcome the differences and not to lose opportunities and to be ready to accept co-existence with the other, with Israelis in safety and security," Sisi told the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders in New York.

Following Egyptian-mediated reconciliation talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Western-backed Fatah faction, Islamist Hamas said on Sunday it would dissolve its "administrative committee" to enable Abbas' administration to retake control in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas urged Abbas on Tuesday to respond by ending his sanctions on the impoverished enclave.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Palestinians to overcome their differences and be ready to co-exist with each other and with Israelis in safety and security.

"I tell the Palestinian people it's extremely important ... to overcome the differences and not to lose opportunities and to be ready to accept co-existence with the other, with Israelis in safety and security," Sisi told the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders in New York.

Following Egyptian-mediated reconciliation talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Western-backed Fatah faction, Islamist Hamas said on Sunday it would dissolve its "administrative committee" to enable Abbas' administration to retake control in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas urged Abbas on Tuesday to respond by ending his sanctions on the impoverished enclave.

]]>The Digital Age - Google Uses Its Power to Quash Ideas It Doesn’t Like—I Know Because It Happened to Me http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275435
Wed, 20 Sep 2017 06:43:25 -0700Kashmir Hillhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275435http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_53741.jpgGoogle HQhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275435The story in the New York Times this week was unsettling: The New America Foundation, a major think tank, was getting rid of one of its teams of scholars, the Open Markets group. New America had warned its leader Barry Lynn that he was “imperiling the institution,” the Times reported, after he and his group had repeatedly criticized Google, a major funder of the think tank, for its market dominance.

The criticism of Google had culminated in Lynn posting a statement to the think tank’s website “applauding” the European Commission’s decision to slap the company with a record-breaking $2.7 billion fine for privileging its price-comparison service over others in search results. That post was briefly taken down, then republished. Soon afterward, Anne-Marie Slaughter, the head of New America, told Lynn that his group had to leave the foundation for failing to abide by “institutional norms of transparency and collegiality.”

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The story in the New York Times this week was unsettling: The New America Foundation, a major think tank, was getting rid of one of its teams of scholars, the Open Markets group. New America had warned its leader Barry Lynn that he was “imperiling the institution,” the Times reported, after he and his group had repeatedly criticized Google, a major funder of the think tank, for its market dominance.

The criticism of Google had culminated in Lynn posting a statement to the think tank’s website “applauding” the European Commission’s decision to slap the company with a record-breaking $2.7 billion fine for privileging its price-comparison service over others in search results. That post was briefly taken down, then republished. Soon afterward, Anne-Marie Slaughter, the head of New America, told Lynn that his group had to leave the foundation for failing to abide by “institutional norms of transparency and collegiality.”

]]>Gaza on Edge - Gaza Strip’s Crisis Leaves Qatar Vulnerablehttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275434
Tue, 19 Sep 2017 11:17:06 -0700Alex Ingberhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275434http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_74733.jpegEmir Qatar Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani & Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyehhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275434The head of Qatar’s Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, Mohammed al-Emadi, recently visited the Gaza Strip to reaffirm Qatar’s commitment to its people and government. Al-Emadi’s trip, which began June 6, brought with it a $3 million commitment to rebuilding the homes for 600 Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip.

The families chosen to benefit from the rebuilding were deemed some of the poorest in Gaza. The project, however, is just a small fraction of the $1.4 billion Qatar has pledged to give to Gaza over five years.

Naji Sarhan, the Palestinian undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, praised al-Emadi’s visit, which has come amidst a humanitarian crisis for Palestinian Arabs in Gaza. Just recently, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has cut Hamas leaders’ paychecks and refused to continue paying Israel for electricity supplied to Gaza. Shortly after the PA’s announcements, Israel acquiesced to PA officials requests and reduced its electricity supply to Gaza. Both actions have put Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement, rival to the PA’s key party, Fatah) under great pressure.

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The head of Qatar’s Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, Mohammed al-Emadi, recently visited the Gaza Strip to reaffirm Qatar’s commitment to its people and government. Al-Emadi’s trip, which began June 6, brought with it a $3 million commitment to rebuilding the homes for 600 Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip.

The families chosen to benefit from the rebuilding were deemed some of the poorest in Gaza. The project, however, is just a small fraction of the $1.4 billion Qatar has pledged to give to Gaza over five years.

Naji Sarhan, the Palestinian undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, praised al-Emadi’s visit, which has come amidst a humanitarian crisis for Palestinian Arabs in Gaza. Just recently, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has cut Hamas leaders’ paychecks and refused to continue paying Israel for electricity supplied to Gaza. Shortly after the PA’s announcements, Israel acquiesced to PA officials requests and reduced its electricity supply to Gaza. Both actions have put Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement, rival to the PA’s key party, Fatah) under great pressure.

The company that manages the Russian news outlet R.T. (Russia Today) announced last week that it had received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice requiring it to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Russian news outlet Sputnik International may be next.

FARA was passed in 1938 to require entities or individuals who represent foreign governments to disclose their relationships, activities, and finances.

Registration would not stop R.T. from broadcasting in the U.S. or censor its programs – it is a paperwork requirement – but it would formally label R.T. an arm of the Russian government rather than an independent media source. This, in essence, would tell Americans that news from R.T. should be considered suspect.

As a practical matter, all news – particularly from government-sponsored sources – should be considered skeptically.

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The company that manages the Russian news outlet R.T. (Russia Today) announced last week that it had received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice requiring it to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Russian news outlet Sputnik International may be next.

FARA was passed in 1938 to require entities or individuals who represent foreign governments to disclose their relationships, activities, and finances.

Registration would not stop R.T. from broadcasting in the U.S. or censor its programs – it is a paperwork requirement – but it would formally label R.T. an arm of the Russian government rather than an independent media source. This, in essence, would tell Americans that news from R.T. should be considered suspect.

As a practical matter, all news – particularly from government-sponsored sources – should be considered skeptically.

Together with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Ford Motor Company is testing a system that enables autonomous vehicles and human drivers to communicate with each other. Ford uses a car that appears to be driving autonomously.

In everyday traffic, human road users communicate intuitively by small gestures: a short wave or nod is often enough to indicate that the other person is allowed to pass through. This element of communication is missing in autonomous cars. Ford is now testing how such a simple "gesture language" between robocar and human road users could look like.

When Daimler sent an autonomous Mercedes through the traffic in 2013, a fundamental weakness of the electronic chauffeurs became obvious: An elderly couple was waiting at a pedestrian crossing. The automatic Mercedes stopped allow the pedestrian to cross.

However, the two pedestrians made a gesture to make it clear that they would prefer the car to drive first. The computer on board the Mercedes didn't understand the hint and insisted on not continuing until after the pedestrians. The deadlock situation could only be resolved after the human safety driver intervened.

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Together with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Ford Motor Company is testing a system that enables autonomous vehicles and human drivers to communicate with each other. Ford uses a car that appears to be driving autonomously.

In everyday traffic, human road users communicate intuitively by small gestures: a short wave or nod is often enough to indicate that the other person is allowed to pass through. This element of communication is missing in autonomous cars. Ford is now testing how such a simple "gesture language" between robocar and human road users could look like.

When Daimler sent an autonomous Mercedes through the traffic in 2013, a fundamental weakness of the electronic chauffeurs became obvious: An elderly couple was waiting at a pedestrian crossing. The automatic Mercedes stopped allow the pedestrian to cross.

However, the two pedestrians made a gesture to make it clear that they would prefer the car to drive first. The computer on board the Mercedes didn't understand the hint and insisted on not continuing until after the pedestrians. The deadlock situation could only be resolved after the human safety driver intervened.

US investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election, sources tell CNN, an extraordinary step involving a high-ranking campaign official now at the center of the Russia meddling probe.

The government snooping continued into early this year, including a period when Manafort was known to talk to President Donald Trump.

Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign, according to three sources familiar with the investigation. Two of these sources, however, cautioned that the evidence is not conclusive.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's team, which is leading the investigation into Russia's involvement in the election, has been provided details of these communications.

A secret order authorized by the court that handles the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) began after Manafort became the subject of an FBI investigation that began in 2014. It centered on work done by a group of Washington consulting firms for Ukraine's former ruling party, the sources told CNN.

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US investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election, sources tell CNN, an extraordinary step involving a high-ranking campaign official now at the center of the Russia meddling probe.

The government snooping continued into early this year, including a period when Manafort was known to talk to President Donald Trump.

Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign, according to three sources familiar with the investigation. Two of these sources, however, cautioned that the evidence is not conclusive.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's team, which is leading the investigation into Russia's involvement in the election, has been provided details of these communications.

A secret order authorized by the court that handles the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) began after Manafort became the subject of an FBI investigation that began in 2014. It centered on work done by a group of Washington consulting firms for Ukraine's former ruling party, the sources told CNN.

]]>Jewry on Edge - Myers Writings/Involvements Indicate a Hostile-to-Israel Propagandist – He Shouldn't Lead Center for Jewish History http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275430
Tue, 19 Sep 2017 06:37:55 -0700Mort Kleinhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275430http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_75217.jpgStacks of old bookshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275430After investigating David Myers’ anti-Israel agenda-driven “history scholarship,” other writings, affiliations and involvements with anti-Israel organizations, and his anti-Israel activities at UCLA, the ZOA is convinced that David Myers should not head the Center for Jewish History (“CJH”), and should be removed from this post, for the following reasons:

First, Myers’ “history scholarship” and writings focus on locating, elevating and promoting false and/or outrightfictional accounts libeling Israeli Jews and Israel – while ignoring or disparaging truthful pro-Israel history as “myths.” This is extraordinarily harmful and dangerous at a time when Jews and Israel are being defamed throughout the world, causing increased anti-Jewish violence.

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After investigating David Myers’ anti-Israel agenda-driven “history scholarship,” other writings, affiliations and involvements with anti-Israel organizations, and his anti-Israel activities at UCLA, the ZOA is convinced that David Myers should not head the Center for Jewish History (“CJH”), and should be removed from this post, for the following reasons:

First, Myers’ “history scholarship” and writings focus on locating, elevating and promoting false and/or outrightfictional accounts libeling Israeli Jews and Israel – while ignoring or disparaging truthful pro-Israel history as “myths.” This is extraordinarily harmful and dangerous at a time when Jews and Israel are being defamed throughout the world, causing increased anti-Jewish violence.

]]>The Airline Protectionists Protest Too Much, Methinks http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275429
Mon, 18 Sep 2017 15:09:37 -0700Brian Mitchell http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275429For nearly three years, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines (Big Three) have mounted a historically expensive political campaign urging the US Government to abandon longstanding bipartisan Open Skies policy. They claim they have an ironclad legal case supported by uncontestable and overwhelming facts that irrefutably show Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways (Gulf Carriers) and their governments have breached the US-United Arab Emirates and US-Qatar Open Skies agreements. Accordingly, they argue, the US Government should take the unprecedented step of tearing-up those Open Skies agreements, abandoning its 25-year-old one-size-fits-all international aviation policy and replacing those agreements with competition-limiting ones tailored solely to the UAE and Qatar that pander to the profit-maximizing whims of the Big Three.

Increasingly, Trump Administration officials and industry observers have quite appropriately noted the gaping disconnect between the confident claims of the Big Three and their cowardice to stand behind them. Specifically, if the Big Three are as confident in their alleged unfair competition case as they tout, why are they so afraid to put it to the test by filing an International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act (IATFCPA) complaint? For over 40 years, the Big Three and their corporate predecessor airlines confidently relied on this Congressionally approved process for evaluating and addressing international aviation-related competitive concerns. Yet that proven statutory process is suddenly no longer sufficient or appropriate.

What is IATFCPA and why does it fit the Big Three’s Gulf Carrier allegations hand-in-glove? The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has an excellent summary on its website – http://btcnews.co/2fp5uFO. According to DOT, in enacting IATFCPA, Congress authorized it to “take action in response to anti-competitive, discriminatory, predatory or unjustifiable activities by a foreign government or foreign airlines against a U.S. airline.” Congress intended that any action deemed warranted after a thorough fact-based evaluation be expeditiously undertaken. According to DOT, “the Department has up to 180 days from the date that the complaint is filed to take action to resolve the issues raised, dismiss the complaint, or resolve it through diplomatic.”

So, why have the Big Three wasted nearly three years – nearly 30 months more than an IATFCPA complaint would have taken from start to finish – and tens of millions of shareholder dollars on a hugely unsuccessful political campaign when the well-established IATFCPA complaint process was available to them?

There is a tipping point where one objects so much it cries out that there is a mortal weakness in their position and they lose any semblance of credibility to argue the point. That is the precise position the Big Three find themselves in today. The clumsy, totally unconvincing and embarrassingly false explanations by the Big Three for their failure to file an IATFCPA complaint would have prompted Hamlet to observe, “the protectionists protest too much, methinks!”

How has the Big Three tried to explain away its failure to file an IATFCPA complaint?

First, in an impertinent slap at both Congress and DOT they dismissively branded the four-decade-old, Congressionally-approved IATFCPA process as nothing more than a “ridiculous acronym.” A statutory process Congress enacted in 1974 to protect US airlines from unfair international competitive practices, and one that has consistently delivered as Congress intended due to the expertise and professionalism of DOT, is nothing more than a “ridiculous acronym?” Up to now, the Big Three and their corporate predecessor airlines never seemed to think so as they consistently relied on IATFCPA.

Second, according to the Big Three in an anti-IATFCPA propaganda paper, an IATFCPA case would be “quite possibly lengthy.” There are two explanations: either Fair Skies - the Big Three’s public relations arm on this issue - does not have internet access and therefore has not read the DOT IATFCPA complaint overview page noted above which makes clear there is a 6-month statutory clock or it is a knowingly false argument. Perhaps it is a case of new math but, I think, 6 months is shorter than the nearly 36 months the Big Three’s failed political campaign has taken thus far. The argument IATFCPA would take too long is embarrassing and takes disingenuousness to soaring heights.

Finally, the Big Three makes the tortured and false argument that Open Skies and IATFCPA are completely separate. In other words, since 1992 when our first Open Skies agreement was signed, IATFCPA became a legal nullity. The Big Three clearly didn’t think so as recently as 2013 when they relied on IATFCPA to address discriminatory user charges at Italian airports. The US signed an Open Skies agreement with Italy in 1998, and that Open Skies relationship continues under the US-EU agreement signed in 2007. Enforcing Open Skies rights and the IATFCPA process are not mutually exclusive as the Big Three feebly claim, and the pathway those airlines chose to take in the recent Italian airport discriminatory fee matter convincingly shows that is so.

So what is the explanation? As I have written before, the answer is that the Big Three have IATFCPA-phobia – an acute fear of having the experts at DOT undertake a rigorous, apolitical and fact-based evaluation of the legal merits of their allegations. DOT’s professional staff would not be fooled by political sound bites and hollow advocacy. Delta’s headquarters knows and fears that. That is why it has unleashed Fair Skies to falsely attack and disparage the IATFCPA process to attempt to explain away the reality that Delta and its oligopoly partners American and United have long known they do not have a legal case so they have mounted a political campaign instead of filing an IATFCPA complaint.

It is time for the Trump Administration to tell the Big Three to either have the confidence and courage to file an IATFCPA complaint or to stop beating their protectionist war drum and instead focus on investing their record-setting profits in improving their product so they can compete more effectively.

Brian Mitchell is founder of the Business Travel Coalition and OpenSkies.travel.

]]>For nearly three years, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines (Big Three) have mounted a historically expensive political campaign urging the US Government to abandon longstanding bipartisan Open Skies policy. They claim they have an ironclad legal case supported by uncontestable and overwhelming facts that irrefutably show Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways (Gulf Carriers) and their governments have breached the US-United Arab Emirates and US-Qatar Open Skies agreements. Accordingly, they argue, the US Government should take the unprecedented step of tearing-up those Open Skies agreements, abandoning its 25-year-old one-size-fits-all international aviation policy and replacing those agreements with competition-limiting ones tailored solely to the UAE and Qatar that pander to the profit-maximizing whims of the Big Three.

Increasingly, Trump Administration officials and industry observers have quite appropriately noted the gaping disconnect between the confident claims of the Big Three and their cowardice to stand behind them. Specifically, if the Big Three are as confident in their alleged unfair competition case as they tout, why are they so afraid to put it to the test by filing an International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act (IATFCPA) complaint? For over 40 years, the Big Three and their corporate predecessor airlines confidently relied on this Congressionally approved process for evaluating and addressing international aviation-related competitive concerns. Yet that proven statutory process is suddenly no longer sufficient or appropriate.

What is IATFCPA and why does it fit the Big Three’s Gulf Carrier allegations hand-in-glove? The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has an excellent summary on its website – http://btcnews.co/2fp5uFO. According to DOT, in enacting IATFCPA, Congress authorized it to “take action in response to anti-competitive, discriminatory, predatory or unjustifiable activities by a foreign government or foreign airlines against a U.S. airline.” Congress intended that any action deemed warranted after a thorough fact-based evaluation be expeditiously undertaken. According to DOT, “the Department has up to 180 days from the date that the complaint is filed to take action to resolve the issues raised, dismiss the complaint, or resolve it through diplomatic.”

So, why have the Big Three wasted nearly three years – nearly 30 months more than an IATFCPA complaint would have taken from start to finish – and tens of millions of shareholder dollars on a hugely unsuccessful political campaign when the well-established IATFCPA complaint process was available to them?

There is a tipping point where one objects so much it cries out that there is a mortal weakness in their position and they lose any semblance of credibility to argue the point. That is the precise position the Big Three find themselves in today. The clumsy, totally unconvincing and embarrassingly false explanations by the Big Three for their failure to file an IATFCPA complaint would have prompted Hamlet to observe, “the protectionists protest too much, methinks!”

How has the Big Three tried to explain away its failure to file an IATFCPA complaint?

First, in an impertinent slap at both Congress and DOT they dismissively branded the four-decade-old, Congressionally-approved IATFCPA process as nothing more than a “ridiculous acronym.” A statutory process Congress enacted in 1974 to protect US airlines from unfair international competitive practices, and one that has consistently delivered as Congress intended due to the expertise and professionalism of DOT, is nothing more than a “ridiculous acronym?” Up to now, the Big Three and their corporate predecessor airlines never seemed to think so as they consistently relied on IATFCPA.

Second, according to the Big Three in an anti-IATFCPA propaganda paper, an IATFCPA case would be “quite possibly lengthy.” There are two explanations: either Fair Skies - the Big Three’s public relations arm on this issue - does not have internet access and therefore has not read the DOT IATFCPA complaint overview page noted above which makes clear there is a 6-month statutory clock or it is a knowingly false argument. Perhaps it is a case of new math but, I think, 6 months is shorter than the nearly 36 months the Big Three’s failed political campaign has taken thus far. The argument IATFCPA would take too long is embarrassing and takes disingenuousness to soaring heights.

Finally, the Big Three makes the tortured and false argument that Open Skies and IATFCPA are completely separate. In other words, since 1992 when our first Open Skies agreement was signed, IATFCPA became a legal nullity. The Big Three clearly didn’t think so as recently as 2013 when they relied on IATFCPA to address discriminatory user charges at Italian airports. The US signed an Open Skies agreement with Italy in 1998, and that Open Skies relationship continues under the US-EU agreement signed in 2007. Enforcing Open Skies rights and the IATFCPA process are not mutually exclusive as the Big Three feebly claim, and the pathway those airlines chose to take in the recent Italian airport discriminatory fee matter convincingly shows that is so.

So what is the explanation? As I have written before, the answer is that the Big Three have IATFCPA-phobia – an acute fear of having the experts at DOT undertake a rigorous, apolitical and fact-based evaluation of the legal merits of their allegations. DOT’s professional staff would not be fooled by political sound bites and hollow advocacy. Delta’s headquarters knows and fears that. That is why it has unleashed Fair Skies to falsely attack and disparage the IATFCPA process to attempt to explain away the reality that Delta and its oligopoly partners American and United have long known they do not have a legal case so they have mounted a political campaign instead of filing an IATFCPA complaint.

It is time for the Trump Administration to tell the Big Three to either have the confidence and courage to file an IATFCPA complaint or to stop beating their protectionist war drum and instead focus on investing their record-setting profits in improving their product so they can compete more effectively.

Brian Mitchell is founder of the Business Travel Coalition and OpenSkies.travel.

]]>Campus Hate - Evergreen Settles with Weinstein, Professor at The Center Of Campus Protestshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275428
Mon, 18 Sep 2017 07:14:22 -0700Abby Spegmanhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275428http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_76449.jpgBlackboard classroomhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275428The Evergreen State College professor at the center of campus protests this spring will receive $500,000 in a settlement that was announced Friday.

Bret Weinstein and his wife, Heather Heying, resigned from their faculty positions effective Friday. The couple filed a $3.85 million tort claim in July alleging the college failed to “protect its employees from repeated provocative and corrosive verbal and written hostility based on race, as well as threats of physical violence,” according to the claim.

Weinstein had criticized changes to the school’s annual Day of Absence after white students who chose to participate were asked to go off campus to talk about race issues. He called the event “an act of oppression,” according to emails obtained by The Olympian. Weinstein later appeared on Fox News and wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

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The Evergreen State College professor at the center of campus protests this spring will receive $500,000 in a settlement that was announced Friday.

Bret Weinstein and his wife, Heather Heying, resigned from their faculty positions effective Friday. The couple filed a $3.85 million tort claim in July alleging the college failed to “protect its employees from repeated provocative and corrosive verbal and written hostility based on race, as well as threats of physical violence,” according to the claim.

Weinstein had criticized changes to the school’s annual Day of Absence after white students who chose to participate were asked to go off campus to talk about race issues. He called the event “an act of oppression,” according to emails obtained by The Olympian. Weinstein later appeared on Fox News and wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

]]>Film News - ‘Narcos’ Location Scout Shot and Killed in Mexicohttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275427
Mon, 18 Sep 2017 07:09:43 -0700Anna Marie de la Fuentehttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275427http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_72306.jpgmexican police on paradehttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275427Mexican location scout Carlos Muñoz Portal was shot to death in a violent region in central Mexico Monday while scouting for season four of Netflix’s hit show “Narcos.” The seasoned scout, who worked for Stacy Perskie’s Mexico City-based production company Redrum, has a slew of high profile credits to his name, including, “Sicario,” “Spectre,” “Fast & Furious” and “Apocalypto.”

Netflix issued the following statement: “We are aware of the passing of Carlos Muñoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family. The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate.

Muñoz’s bullet-riddled body and car were found in a remote area near San Bartolo Actopan in the state of Mexico near the borders of Hidalgo state, which is said to have one of the highest murder rates in Mexico. In July, 182 cases of homicide were reported in the densely populated state, a ratio of 12.2 for every 100,000 inhabitants.

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Mexican location scout Carlos Muñoz Portal was shot to death in a violent region in central Mexico Monday while scouting for season four of Netflix’s hit show “Narcos.” The seasoned scout, who worked for Stacy Perskie’s Mexico City-based production company Redrum, has a slew of high profile credits to his name, including, “Sicario,” “Spectre,” “Fast & Furious” and “Apocalypto.”

Netflix issued the following statement: “We are aware of the passing of Carlos Muñoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family. The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate.

Muñoz’s bullet-riddled body and car were found in a remote area near San Bartolo Actopan in the state of Mexico near the borders of Hidalgo state, which is said to have one of the highest murder rates in Mexico. In July, 182 cases of homicide were reported in the densely populated state, a ratio of 12.2 for every 100,000 inhabitants.

It had first been revealed in summer 2016 that Jóhannsson would be the film’s sole composer. In July 2017, it was reported that Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch were brought on to assist Jóhannsson.

All of Jóhannsson’s contributions have now been reportedly removed from 2049.

When reached for comment, Jóhannsson’s representatives replied, “Unfortunately due to a legal Non Disclosure Agreement Jóhann signed we’re not able to speak about this film at all.”

]]>Jewry On Edge - David Myers: Wrong Choice by Center for Jewish Historyhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275425
Sun, 17 Sep 2017 13:23:11 -0700Cinnamon Stillwellhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275425http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_76701.jpgboycott Israel t-shirthttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275425When a respected and apolitical institution like the New York-based Center for Jewish History (CJH) hires an anti-Israel academic to be its new CEO and president, something has gone terribly wrong. UCLA Jewish studies professor David N. Myers may present a moderate façade, but his academic and political affiliations expose his radical core.

The pro-Israel community has taken notice. Ronn Torossian, Hank Sheinkopf, and George Birnbaum wrote an op-ed calling attention to Myers's "extreme viewpoints" and charging CJH with making an "unfit choice." The Israel Group urged opponents to write in protest. JCCWatch and Americans for a Safe Israel announced plans for an October 18 street protest outside CJH.

Predictably, the academy has rallied around Myers. Jewish studies scholars by the hundreds signed a petition supporting him. Jonathan D. Sarna and David Ellenson of Brandeis University lauded Myers as the "very model of an engaged and responsible scholar," even calling him "the embodiment of the center."

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When a respected and apolitical institution like the New York-based Center for Jewish History (CJH) hires an anti-Israel academic to be its new CEO and president, something has gone terribly wrong. UCLA Jewish studies professor David N. Myers may present a moderate façade, but his academic and political affiliations expose his radical core.

The pro-Israel community has taken notice. Ronn Torossian, Hank Sheinkopf, and George Birnbaum wrote an op-ed calling attention to Myers's "extreme viewpoints" and charging CJH with making an "unfit choice." The Israel Group urged opponents to write in protest. JCCWatch and Americans for a Safe Israel announced plans for an October 18 street protest outside CJH.

Predictably, the academy has rallied around Myers. Jewish studies scholars by the hundreds signed a petition supporting him. Jonathan D. Sarna and David Ellenson of Brandeis University lauded Myers as the "very model of an engaged and responsible scholar," even calling him "the embodiment of the center."

]]>America on Edge - Judiciary Impartiality Considered as Delaware’s Business Climate Falls from 1st to 11th Placehttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275423
Sat, 16 Sep 2017 13:28:44 -0700Respublica Staffhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275423http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_53275.jpgjudge's gavelhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275423Coming on the heels of some major news indicating that Delaware is no longer the preferred state to incorporate in, experts have been trying to understand what has happened. How does the First State become the 11th in a world where nearly everyone used to incorporate in Delaware? Lisa Rickard, president of the Institute for Legal Reform, said, “Delaware no longer lives up to its nickname as the ‘First State.”

For some, it may be a surprise. For others who follow the Delaware climate closely, this was a moment several years in the making. A prominent writer and founding publisher of a state paper covering business, Samuel Waltz, wrote in January 2017, “Observers of Delaware’s bench and bar in 2017 will witness something that many agree is for the most part unprecedented, perhaps even historic, maybe even to the extent it could threaten the primacy of Delaware’s courts as America’s national business court of choice.” That unprecedented issue – the case of TransPerfect, an international translation company at the heart of a major lawsuit playing out since 2015 in Delaware’s court system.

The case is about two wealthy owners of a private company, one who wants to keep, run and build, and the other who wants to sell for a premium. The math works out like this: If there are two 50% portions, no one has management or company control. Arguably, the price that could be yielded for one half of the firm without that control is less than half of what one might pay for the market price of 100% of the company. The party who wants the exit strategy has asked the courts to force 100% of the firm up for sale, so that she could maximize her value. The Chancery court’s mandate is to preserve and protect the shareholders’ value, so it may seem logical that the Delaware Chancellor decided for the owner looking to maximize value.

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Coming on the heels of some major news indicating that Delaware is no longer the preferred state to incorporate in, experts have been trying to understand what has happened. How does the First State become the 11th in a world where nearly everyone used to incorporate in Delaware? Lisa Rickard, president of the Institute for Legal Reform, said, “Delaware no longer lives up to its nickname as the ‘First State.”

For some, it may be a surprise. For others who follow the Delaware climate closely, this was a moment several years in the making. A prominent writer and founding publisher of a state paper covering business, Samuel Waltz, wrote in January 2017, “Observers of Delaware’s bench and bar in 2017 will witness something that many agree is for the most part unprecedented, perhaps even historic, maybe even to the extent it could threaten the primacy of Delaware’s courts as America’s national business court of choice.” That unprecedented issue – the case of TransPerfect, an international translation company at the heart of a major lawsuit playing out since 2015 in Delaware’s court system.

The case is about two wealthy owners of a private company, one who wants to keep, run and build, and the other who wants to sell for a premium. The math works out like this: If there are two 50% portions, no one has management or company control. Arguably, the price that could be yielded for one half of the firm without that control is less than half of what one might pay for the market price of 100% of the company. The party who wants the exit strategy has asked the courts to force 100% of the firm up for sale, so that she could maximize her value. The Chancery court’s mandate is to preserve and protect the shareholders’ value, so it may seem logical that the Delaware Chancellor decided for the owner looking to maximize value.

It is stale politics and the suffocating Democrat-Republican split trembling, earth quaking, and creating a new playing field.

The announcement yesterday by House and Senate leaders that a deal protecting “Dreamers” has been made and will include a border security package comes as a shock and with surprise.

Yet there is nothing but a yawn from the national media in all its fakery — the same national media that made the supposed end of DACA like the coming end of the world. Smaller headlines, fewer commentaries, abject dismissal of this stunning turn around by editors throughout the industry is a bigger story than DACA being saved.

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The political shift on DACA by President Trump is tectonic.

Of course, it isn’t the earth shifting in this instance.

It is stale politics and the suffocating Democrat-Republican split trembling, earth quaking, and creating a new playing field.

The announcement yesterday by House and Senate leaders that a deal protecting “Dreamers” has been made and will include a border security package comes as a shock and with surprise.

Yet there is nothing but a yawn from the national media in all its fakery — the same national media that made the supposed end of DACA like the coming end of the world. Smaller headlines, fewer commentaries, abject dismissal of this stunning turn around by editors throughout the industry is a bigger story than DACA being saved.

The introduction of Operation Temperer will see soldiers replacing police at key sites including nuclear power plants to free up extra armed officers for regular patrols.

Scotland Yard said it is making 'excellent' progress in hunting the suspected terrorist who set off a crude bucket bomb on a packed commuter train by Parsons Green tube station in west London at 8.20am.

Mrs May said in a statement from Number 10: 'The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has now decided to raise the national threat level from severe to critical - this means their assessment is that a further attack may be imminent.' Minutes later Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley suggested there might have been more than one person involved, stating that police were 'chasing down suspects'.

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Armed police have flooded London's streets as the terror threat level was raised to critical amid fears the Parsons Green bomber could strike again, Theresa May announced tonight.

The introduction of Operation Temperer will see soldiers replacing police at key sites including nuclear power plants to free up extra armed officers for regular patrols.

Scotland Yard said it is making 'excellent' progress in hunting the suspected terrorist who set off a crude bucket bomb on a packed commuter train by Parsons Green tube station in west London at 8.20am.

Mrs May said in a statement from Number 10: 'The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has now decided to raise the national threat level from severe to critical - this means their assessment is that a further attack may be imminent.' Minutes later Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley suggested there might have been more than one person involved, stating that police were 'chasing down suspects'.

Scientists at the US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centre in San Diego have developed a way to use wireless charging technology underwater to recharge unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

“Unmanned and autonomous systems are used extensively for Navy missions and will continue to play a large role in future Navy and joint scenarios,” said Dr. Alex Phipps, chief of the advanced integrated circuit technology branch at SSC Pacific. “While most of these systems are able to perform their mission without human interaction, limitations in the amount of power that can be stored place a limit on the overall system autonomy.”

The researchers are now advocating for the creation of a guiding set of standards for these underwater wireless power transfer devices.

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Scientists at the US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centre in San Diego have developed a way to use wireless charging technology underwater to recharge unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

“Unmanned and autonomous systems are used extensively for Navy missions and will continue to play a large role in future Navy and joint scenarios,” said Dr. Alex Phipps, chief of the advanced integrated circuit technology branch at SSC Pacific. “While most of these systems are able to perform their mission without human interaction, limitations in the amount of power that can be stored place a limit on the overall system autonomy.”

The researchers are now advocating for the creation of a guiding set of standards for these underwater wireless power transfer devices.

]]>Book Business - Indie Booksellers Report Solid Summer Sales http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275421
Sat, 16 Sep 2017 08:48:00 -0700Ed Nawotka, Dennis Abrams, Jason Boog, Alex Green, Claire Kirchhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275421http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_2240.jpgBookshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275421Sales were strong across much of the country this past summer, and the attitude going into the fall is positive, according to a PW survey of more than 15 independent bookstores last week.

“We had a really good summer,” said Ann Woodbeck, owner of Excelsior Bay Books outside of Minneapolis. “Sales were way up. We expect to finish out the year with a double-digit increase over last year.”

Anne Holman, general manager of the King’s English in Salt Lake City, reported that sales were up 14%–15%, and Kristen Sandstrom, manager of the Apostle Islands Booksellers in Bayfield, Wisc., said sales were likely to add up to the “best year ever.”

Peter Reynolds, owner of the Blue Bunny Books & Toys in Dedham, Mass., said that sales are up 25% this year, 9% from last summer—despite the fact that Amazon Books opened a store less than a mile away earlier this year and his own store closed for three weeks to renovate. “Our loyal customers became even more loyal,” he added.

Nicole Sullivan, owner of BookBar in Denver, pegged the increase in sales at her store this summer at 20%, in part due to an influx of new residents in her store’s neighborhood and the addition of an outdoor patio where customers can linger over coffee, tea, and hors d’oeuvres. “That helps sustain us through the summer while others might be leveling off after the holidays” she said. In Athens, Ga., the Avid Bookshop saw sales 57% higher than last summer after adding a second, larger location in town, owner Janet Geddis said.

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Sales were strong across much of the country this past summer, and the attitude going into the fall is positive, according to a PW survey of more than 15 independent bookstores last week.

“We had a really good summer,” said Ann Woodbeck, owner of Excelsior Bay Books outside of Minneapolis. “Sales were way up. We expect to finish out the year with a double-digit increase over last year.”

Anne Holman, general manager of the King’s English in Salt Lake City, reported that sales were up 14%–15%, and Kristen Sandstrom, manager of the Apostle Islands Booksellers in Bayfield, Wisc., said sales were likely to add up to the “best year ever.”

Peter Reynolds, owner of the Blue Bunny Books & Toys in Dedham, Mass., said that sales are up 25% this year, 9% from last summer—despite the fact that Amazon Books opened a store less than a mile away earlier this year and his own store closed for three weeks to renovate. “Our loyal customers became even more loyal,” he added.

Nicole Sullivan, owner of BookBar in Denver, pegged the increase in sales at her store this summer at 20%, in part due to an influx of new residents in her store’s neighborhood and the addition of an outdoor patio where customers can linger over coffee, tea, and hors d’oeuvres. “That helps sustain us through the summer while others might be leveling off after the holidays” she said. In Athens, Ga., the Avid Bookshop saw sales 57% higher than last summer after adding a second, larger location in town, owner Janet Geddis said.

Eight-and-a-half minutes after North Korea set off a nuclear bomb on September 3, a second burst of energy shook the mountain where the test had just occurred. More than a week later, researchers are still puzzling over what caused that extra release of seismic energy—and what it says about North Korea’s nuclear-testing site, or the risks of a larger radiation leak. Monitoring stations in South Korea have already picked up minute levels of radiation from the test.

A number of theories have emerged to explain the second event, ranging from a tunnel collapse or a landslide to a splintering of the rock inside Mount Mantap, the testing site. But seismologists can’t agree and say that they may not get enough evidence to pin down the cause.

“This is an interesting mystery at this point,” says Göran Ekström, a seismologist at Columbia University in New York City. Advertisement

The nature of the first seismic signal is clearer because it matches the profile of a bomb blast. The US Geological Survey (USGS) determined the magnitude of the seismic event associated with the nuclear explosion at 6.3, whereas the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna calculated it at 6.1 on the basis of a separate analysis. The explosion was many times the size of past North Korean tests and was the largest seismic signal from a nuclear test ever detected by the international network of seismic monitoring stations used by the CTBTO.

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Eight-and-a-half minutes after North Korea set off a nuclear bomb on September 3, a second burst of energy shook the mountain where the test had just occurred. More than a week later, researchers are still puzzling over what caused that extra release of seismic energy—and what it says about North Korea’s nuclear-testing site, or the risks of a larger radiation leak. Monitoring stations in South Korea have already picked up minute levels of radiation from the test.

A number of theories have emerged to explain the second event, ranging from a tunnel collapse or a landslide to a splintering of the rock inside Mount Mantap, the testing site. But seismologists can’t agree and say that they may not get enough evidence to pin down the cause.

“This is an interesting mystery at this point,” says Göran Ekström, a seismologist at Columbia University in New York City. Advertisement

The nature of the first seismic signal is clearer because it matches the profile of a bomb blast. The US Geological Survey (USGS) determined the magnitude of the seismic event associated with the nuclear explosion at 6.3, whereas the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna calculated it at 6.1 on the basis of a separate analysis. The explosion was many times the size of past North Korean tests and was the largest seismic signal from a nuclear test ever detected by the international network of seismic monitoring stations used by the CTBTO.

Iran has drastically increased financial support for its Lebanese-based terrorist proxy Hizballah since the Iran nuclear deal was signed two years ago, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Iran secured $100 billion in frozen assets and sanction relief in January 2016 as a result of the deal with the United States and European countries. Flush with cash, Iran immediately increased its support for terrorist proxies in the region and nefarious activities worldwide. Hizballah was receiving $200 million from Iran. Now, it's $800 million.

Last month, Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar admitted that "relations with Iran are excellent and Iran is the largest supporter of the [Hamas military wing] Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades with money and arms." Iran reportedly provides Hamas with about $60-$70 million.

Both Hizballah and Hamas remain dedicated to Israel's destruction and continue to invest considerable resources to fight the Jewish state. Iran also spends hundreds of millions of dollars for Shi'ite militias in Syria and Iraq, while increasing support for Houthi militants in Yemen.

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Iran has drastically increased financial support for its Lebanese-based terrorist proxy Hizballah since the Iran nuclear deal was signed two years ago, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Iran secured $100 billion in frozen assets and sanction relief in January 2016 as a result of the deal with the United States and European countries. Flush with cash, Iran immediately increased its support for terrorist proxies in the region and nefarious activities worldwide. Hizballah was receiving $200 million from Iran. Now, it's $800 million.

Last month, Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar admitted that "relations with Iran are excellent and Iran is the largest supporter of the [Hamas military wing] Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades with money and arms." Iran reportedly provides Hamas with about $60-$70 million.

Both Hizballah and Hamas remain dedicated to Israel's destruction and continue to invest considerable resources to fight the Jewish state. Iran also spends hundreds of millions of dollars for Shi'ite militias in Syria and Iraq, while increasing support for Houthi militants in Yemen.

For NASA’s Cassini orbiter—its fuel dwindling after 13 years exploring Saturn, along with the planet’s sprawling rings and dozens of icy moons—the end will come Friday at 7:55 A.M. Eastern time. That’s when mission planners project radio communications will be lost with the two-ton, bus-size spacecraft as it plunges into the giant planet’s turbulent atmosphere at more than 122,000 kilometers per hour.

Within seconds the gas streaming around the plummeting probe will reach temperatures hot enough to melt its aluminum chassis, followed by the iridium cladding that shields its plutonium power source. With its radio link to Earth severed, Cassini’s last “transmission” will be the light from this fireball, a modest blaze of glory that astronomers might glimpse from Earth. A minute after its final signal, the sophisticated spacecraft will be reduced to a rapidly dissipating spray of vaporized metal some 200 kilometers beneath Saturn’s swirling cloud tops. But as scientists and members of the public gather in various parts of the world for bittersweet celebrations of the mission’s conclusion, it is clear Cassini’s legacy will endure.

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All good things must come to an end.

For NASA’s Cassini orbiter—its fuel dwindling after 13 years exploring Saturn, along with the planet’s sprawling rings and dozens of icy moons—the end will come Friday at 7:55 A.M. Eastern time. That’s when mission planners project radio communications will be lost with the two-ton, bus-size spacecraft as it plunges into the giant planet’s turbulent atmosphere at more than 122,000 kilometers per hour.

Within seconds the gas streaming around the plummeting probe will reach temperatures hot enough to melt its aluminum chassis, followed by the iridium cladding that shields its plutonium power source. With its radio link to Earth severed, Cassini’s last “transmission” will be the light from this fireball, a modest blaze of glory that astronomers might glimpse from Earth. A minute after its final signal, the sophisticated spacecraft will be reduced to a rapidly dissipating spray of vaporized metal some 200 kilometers beneath Saturn’s swirling cloud tops. But as scientists and members of the public gather in various parts of the world for bittersweet celebrations of the mission’s conclusion, it is clear Cassini’s legacy will endure.

By 2019, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assessments, Israel will complete an underground wall that stretches along the 60-kilometer (37 mile) border with Gaza. The wall is the product of several years of research and development, and is designed to eliminate the tunnel threat to Israeli communities located near Gaza.

During the past three years, since the end of its last conflict with Israel, Hamas has invested big resources into its tunnel maze. One of its top goals is to rehabilitate an ability to inject murder squads into Israeli territory through the tunnels.

Once inside Israel, they could target IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians for murder or kidnapping, whenever the next conflict breaks out.

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Time may be running out for one of Hamas's main weapons against Israel: Its cross-border terror tunnels.

By 2019, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assessments, Israel will complete an underground wall that stretches along the 60-kilometer (37 mile) border with Gaza. The wall is the product of several years of research and development, and is designed to eliminate the tunnel threat to Israeli communities located near Gaza.

During the past three years, since the end of its last conflict with Israel, Hamas has invested big resources into its tunnel maze. One of its top goals is to rehabilitate an ability to inject murder squads into Israeli territory through the tunnels.

Once inside Israel, they could target IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians for murder or kidnapping, whenever the next conflict breaks out.

]]>The Edge of Terrorism - ISIS Plot to Poison Food in US, UK Supermarketshttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275414
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 07:15:31 -0700David Rosenberghttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275414http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_75219.jpgonions peppers parsley radishhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275414Following a wave of ramming attacks across Europe, as well as more conventional terror attacks including stabbings, shootings, and bombings, the ISIS terror organization is preparing a silent terror wave against American and British consumers.

While recent attacks in continental Europe have drawn front-page coverage around the globe, including a pair of attacks in Spain last month which left 16 civilians dead, ISIS terrorists have been quietly laying the groundwork for a far less bombastic – but potentially deadly – plot against the US and UK.

Security experts have uncovered evidence Islamic State terrorists are plotting to poison food in supermarkets across the US and Britain, according to a report by SITE Intelligence Group, an American terrorism monitor.

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Following a wave of ramming attacks across Europe, as well as more conventional terror attacks including stabbings, shootings, and bombings, the ISIS terror organization is preparing a silent terror wave against American and British consumers.

While recent attacks in continental Europe have drawn front-page coverage around the globe, including a pair of attacks in Spain last month which left 16 civilians dead, ISIS terrorists have been quietly laying the groundwork for a far less bombastic – but potentially deadly – plot against the US and UK.

Security experts have uncovered evidence Islamic State terrorists are plotting to poison food in supermarkets across the US and Britain, according to a report by SITE Intelligence Group, an American terrorism monitor.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) hinted broadly in an interview on Fox Business with host Lou Dobbs that there will soon be news about Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and the prospect of dealmaking by federal prosecutors with Hina Alvi, a woman now in Pakistan who is wanted in questioning in federal bank fraud charges against husband Imran Awan.

Frank said on Wednesday, “I think you’re going to see some revelations that are pretty profound. And the fact that this wife is coming back from Pakistan and is willing to face charges, as it were, I think there’s a good chance that she’s going to receive some sort of immunity to tell a larger story that is going to be pretty disturbing to the American people.”

For months media have speculated whether Wasserman Schultz and Awan (who was arrested at a Washington-area airport before flying to Pakistan, and is now indicted) may have colluded in concealing evidence possibly linked to the hack of the Democratic National Committee computer system in 2016. The hack revealed embarrassing emails that linked members of the media to personalities in Hillary Clinton’s political organization and the DNC.

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Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) hinted broadly in an interview on Fox Business with host Lou Dobbs that there will soon be news about Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and the prospect of dealmaking by federal prosecutors with Hina Alvi, a woman now in Pakistan who is wanted in questioning in federal bank fraud charges against husband Imran Awan.

Frank said on Wednesday, “I think you’re going to see some revelations that are pretty profound. And the fact that this wife is coming back from Pakistan and is willing to face charges, as it were, I think there’s a good chance that she’s going to receive some sort of immunity to tell a larger story that is going to be pretty disturbing to the American people.”

For months media have speculated whether Wasserman Schultz and Awan (who was arrested at a Washington-area airport before flying to Pakistan, and is now indicted) may have colluded in concealing evidence possibly linked to the hack of the Democratic National Committee computer system in 2016. The hack revealed embarrassing emails that linked members of the media to personalities in Hillary Clinton’s political organization and the DNC.

Sharp's AQUOS 8K Series of 8K-compatible TVs and displays are what the company claims to be a world first, planned for release in China in October, in Japan in December, in Taiwan in February 2018, and in Europe in March 2018.

8K displays deliver ultra-high-definition images with 16 times the resolution of full-HD which could not be expressed with 4K images. It reproduces images with ultra-fine details even the naked eye cannot capture.

In October 2015, Sharp had released an 85-inch 8K monitor using an 8K LCD panel, and the advanced wideband digital satellite broadcast receiver compatible with 8K ultra-high-definition (UHD) broadcasts in 2016, followed in June 2017 with the release of a 70-inch 8K monitor. The Japanese company aims to complement its 8K TVs by accelerating development of 8K broadcast receivers, 8K cameras, and other 8K products to lead the world by

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Sharp's AQUOS 8K Series of 8K-compatible TVs and displays are what the company claims to be a world first, planned for release in China in October, in Japan in December, in Taiwan in February 2018, and in Europe in March 2018.

8K displays deliver ultra-high-definition images with 16 times the resolution of full-HD which could not be expressed with 4K images. It reproduces images with ultra-fine details even the naked eye cannot capture.

In October 2015, Sharp had released an 85-inch 8K monitor using an 8K LCD panel, and the advanced wideband digital satellite broadcast receiver compatible with 8K ultra-high-definition (UHD) broadcasts in 2016, followed in June 2017 with the release of a 70-inch 8K monitor. The Japanese company aims to complement its 8K TVs by accelerating development of 8K broadcast receivers, 8K cameras, and other 8K products to lead the world by

Part 4 of Edwin Black's latest 5-part investigative series, "Hillel at the Crossroads," is based on more than 100 interviews in 4 countries, and the acquisition of many documents and internal emails. See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

When one speaks to Eric Fingerhut, CEO of Hillel International, one hears a quiet voice speaking carefully and thoughtfully. Managing thousands of interconnected programs at more than 500 independent local Hillels, walking a tightrope between a spectrum of Jewish political and religious persuasions — all vying for primacy at the nation’s Jewish campus outposts, Fingerhut is accustomed to organizational tension and finding middle ground.

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Hillel International CEO Eric Fingerhut

Part 4 of Edwin Black's latest 5-part investigative series, "Hillel at the Crossroads," is based on more than 100 interviews in 4 countries, and the acquisition of many documents and internal emails. See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

When one speaks to Eric Fingerhut, CEO of Hillel International, one hears a quiet voice speaking carefully and thoughtfully. Managing thousands of interconnected programs at more than 500 independent local Hillels, walking a tightrope between a spectrum of Jewish political and religious persuasions — all vying for primacy at the nation’s Jewish campus outposts, Fingerhut is accustomed to organizational tension and finding middle ground.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is perplexed, with no idea what President Trump thinks he was gaining.

In fact, McConnell rather doubts the president has a strategy, a close source tells Axios.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is furious, according to a person very close to him. Both felt blindsided by Trump's stunning decision yesterday to abruptly side with "Chuck and Nancy," as he chummily called the Democratic leaders, in a deal to avert a government shutdown Sept. 30 — at the price of reviving the politically painful issue right before the 2018 elections.

Soak this in: It's now possible that Trump's biggest legislative wins this year will be more spending and raising the debt cap — the exact opposite of what Tea Party Republicans came to D.C. to do.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is perplexed, with no idea what President Trump thinks he was gaining.

In fact, McConnell rather doubts the president has a strategy, a close source tells Axios.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is furious, according to a person very close to him. Both felt blindsided by Trump's stunning decision yesterday to abruptly side with "Chuck and Nancy," as he chummily called the Democratic leaders, in a deal to avert a government shutdown Sept. 30 — at the price of reviving the politically painful issue right before the 2018 elections.

Soak this in: It's now possible that Trump's biggest legislative wins this year will be more spending and raising the debt cap — the exact opposite of what Tea Party Republicans came to D.C. to do.

]]>History on Edge - The Relevance of Historyhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275408
Thu, 07 Sep 2017 06:56:03 -0700Rick Shenkmanhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275408http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_75605.jpgblack sharecroppers 1941 Green Co GAhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275408Forty years ago this week one of America’s most highly esteemed historians, David Herbert Donald, penned an op ed in the New York Times that many found shocking. Donald, a Harvard professor, explained that he had reached the conclusion that history is irrelevant and that he intended to convince his students of this when classes began in the coming weeks. This was like hearing from Julia Child that she had decided that cooking is a waste of time and that she intended to discourage would-be home chefs from from even thinking about preparing Crêpes Suzette.

Donald had not lost his mind. From the perspective of 1977, a period marked by gas shortages, deficits, and stagflation, what he was saying seemed to make sense. As he explained, the lesson of American history was the lesson of abundance. Americans, in the words of historian David M. Potter, had been “The People of Plenty.” This had shaped our character and expectations.

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Forty years ago this week one of America’s most highly esteemed historians, David Herbert Donald, penned an op ed in the New York Times that many found shocking. Donald, a Harvard professor, explained that he had reached the conclusion that history is irrelevant and that he intended to convince his students of this when classes began in the coming weeks. This was like hearing from Julia Child that she had decided that cooking is a waste of time and that she intended to discourage would-be home chefs from from even thinking about preparing Crêpes Suzette.

Donald had not lost his mind. From the perspective of 1977, a period marked by gas shortages, deficits, and stagflation, what he was saying seemed to make sense. As he explained, the lesson of American history was the lesson of abundance. Americans, in the words of historian David M. Potter, had been “The People of Plenty.” This had shaped our character and expectations.

]]>Book Review - In Eric Foner’s “Battles for Freedom," We Are Struck by the Continuing Relevance http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275407
Thu, 07 Sep 2017 06:53:17 -0700Ron Brileyhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275407http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//uploads/cmimg_12909.jpgPaper Stackhttp://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=275407The Nation magazine has served as a bastion of liberal thought since Reconstruction, providing a home for the writings of journalists, politicians, and scholars. Among these scholars is historian Eric Foner of Columbia University whose contributions to the Nation from 1977 to the present are gathered in the aptly titled Battles for Freedom, as the concept of liberty is at the core of Foner’s scholarship focusing on such topics as abolitionism, Reconstruction, and Abraham Lincoln. These selections highlight Foner as a public intellectual who is willing to engage with the major issues of our time and does not retreat into the isolation of academic objectivity and the ivory tower. Foner is a man of the political left but is hardly doctrinaire in embracing a radical tradition in American history from Tom Paine to Bernie Sanders that has struggled to expand the fabric of freedom within American society.]]>

The Nation magazine has served as a bastion of liberal thought since Reconstruction, providing a home for the writings of journalists, politicians, and scholars. Among these scholars is historian Eric Foner of Columbia University whose contributions to the Nation from 1977 to the present are gathered in the aptly titled Battles for Freedom, as the concept of liberty is at the core of Foner’s scholarship focusing on such topics as abolitionism, Reconstruction, and Abraham Lincoln. These selections highlight Foner as a public intellectual who is willing to engage with the major issues of our time and does not retreat into the isolation of academic objectivity and the ivory tower. Foner is a man of the political left but is hardly doctrinaire in embracing a radical tradition in American history from Tom Paine to Bernie Sanders that has struggled to expand the fabric of freedom within American society.